Thanks to the supply chain problems and the rework needed by the makers on the jet, we will have to wait till the third quarter of 2009 for the release of the Boeing 787. This extended delay adds six more months to the tantalizing wait by the fans of the aircraft who have their patience already worn out. After the launch we have the wait for some real action a.k.a. test flights. And this doesn't really seem to be early enough. How painful does the fourth quarter sound for the first test flight? Looks like these guys spread the map of 2009 and dragged all the dates three months later.

via newlaunches.com

Moving gigantic cargo ships across oceans is no small feat, requiring a whole lot of energy to keep those propellers turning and the ships heading on the right course. There is one form of energy that's plentiful out at sea, however: wind. Yep, there's always wind blowing at sea, and now some cargo ships are now harnessing that power to move ships.

Yes, the first trans-Atlantic trip by a cargo ship using kites to help propel it just wrapped up successfully. The giant kite helped save 20% of the ships energy, which will the shipping company up to $2,000 a day in fuel costs once an even bigger kite is hooked up on the next trip. It's such a simple, basic idea, it's a wonder it took this long to happen.

via dvice.com

Sener from Spain and Abu Dhabi's clean-energy initiative, Masdar, have come together to construct a fair number of solar-powered plants that will generate 320 megawatts over the next 5 years, and hitting an impressive 1,000 megawatts within 10 years' time. One of the designs involves a solar receiver tower right smack in Abu Dhabi, featuring an array of mirrors mounted on the ground that will reflect light to the top of a tower in order to create steam. This steam will then power an electricity turbine to send power to the rest of the population.

via ubergizmo.com

Honda has announced a further update to its advanced humanoid robot platform. The latest incarnation of ASIMO has added intelligence technology allowing it to autonomously perform services such as carrying a tray or pushing a cart, work together with fellow robots to share and complete tasks through a constant sharing of information, and even predict the movements of oncoming people and decide for itself how best to stay out of the way.

ASIMO, short for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is a key showpiece for Honda and is constantly evolving to incorporate the latest technologies.

via gizmag.com

Some time ago Microsoft and Toshiba both had dreams of making the Gigabeat a rage. However we all know now that the Zune isn't a Toshiba product. Regardless Toshiba has furthered its product line up with enhancements to their Gigabeat U-, V-, and T-series of audio and video players. The V81 doubles the flash of its V41 to 8GB while tweaking the 1Seg recording capabilities priced at around ¥34,800 (about $327). The U407 and U408 are just 4GB updates to their 1GB/2GB sibs while sporting an enhanced GUI priced for around ¥15,800 (about $149).

via newlaunches.com

Researchers at the University of Washington have invented a safer and more economic option that might rid cancer patients of having to undergo sedation and endoscopic diagnoses. The reusable camera pill consists of seven fiber optic cables encased in a capsule not bigger than a typical painkiller. The pill’s primary developer Eric Seibel, who is also an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University, says that using the camera feels just like swallowing a pill attached to a string. The pill however, is expected to become commonplace among patients and doctors soon as it promises to prove very advantageous in laparoscopic surgery apart from examination of delicate area like the fallopian tubes and lungs, and is relatively quite cheap at $300 as compared to $5000 scopes.

via gizmowatch.com

There couldn't be a better story than this to begin my day. Just imagine NVIDIA acquiring Ageia! If you still don't get it than lets put it in a simple line -- NVIDIA graphics will get even more powerful and ATI (now AMD) will have a really tough ride ahead. Ageia is currently industry leader in gaming physics technology. Its PhysX software is widely adopted with more than 140 PhysX-based games shipping or in development on Sony Playstation3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and Gaming PCs. So now after this buyout we'll see lot of GeForce-accelerated PhysX cards, which will provide performance like never before.

via pclaunches.com

I initially wanted the Ceramic White PS3, but the Satin Silver one might be good enough to go with the rest of the living room… humm..

Sony announced that a 40GB Satin Silver PS3 would be available in Japan only (for now). That’s in addition of the Black and Ceramic White version, the latter is also available in Japan only. Hopefully Sony will be done with this experimentation in Japan soon and will start to make all the silver and the white version available outside of Japan.

via ubergizmo.com

We've been hearing rumors all morning that Microsoft would release Vista SP1 this week. Now, according to Reuters, Microsoft has just sent Vista SP1 to manufacturing. In the same presentation to investors, Steve Ballmer said that Microsoft has released Windows Server 2008 to manufacturing as well. However, the server software won't formally launch until February 27th. Now we're just waiting for the SP1 download link and/or Windows Update package. Twiddle, twiddle... ah hell, we'll just update you when we get it -- this could take a few days.

via engadget.com

The most expensive, carefully designed, and complicated solar panels in the world operate at about 40% efficiency. That means that, for every bit of sunlight that hits the panel, only 40% of it is turned into electricity. Scientists think that this is just about as good as silicon panels can do and are now looking at ways to make it cheaper, instead of making them more efficient. But suddenly, from nowhere, comes Steven Novack of the Idaho National Laboratories with an inexpensive, fold able solar panel that may turn out to be up to 80% efficient. The trick is nanotechnology. The surface of the material is printed with miniscule nano-antennae that capture infra-red radiation, the kind that the sun puts out in abundance, and is even available at night.

via newlaunches.com

Microsoft just announced what has been rumored forever: a formal offer for Yahoo. Microsoft's proposal to Yahoo's board of directors represents $31 per share (a 62% premium over yesterday's closing price) or about $44.6 Billion. Steve Ballmer, CEO and big fan of developers, says, "We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market."

via engadget.com

It's only natural that Asus might want to benefit from the brand Eee PC. So its no surprise that the Taiwanese computer maker has decided to roll out a whole Eee products family comprising of E-DT (desktop PC), E-TV and E-Monitor. Their main selling point? Of course, decent design and low cost. Initial version of the E-DT will be based on Intel Celeron processor, while later generations will adopt Intel's Shelton'08 platform with Diamondville processors and the 945GC chipset. The desktop is expected to ship without monitor for $200-300 from April or May.

via pclaunches.com

Google's unparalleled vision & its ability to execute successfully is the stuff of legend. It's now developing televisions that display Internet content such as photos and videos together with Matsushita's Panasonic unit...

via newlaunches.com

After teasing us with their DYI gadgets, Bug Labs has announced the pricing for their modules, along with a discount for early adopters. There is also a special pricing for the education market (schools and students)...

via ubergizmo.com

It's strange that we haven't heard a peep about this earlier, but apparently Microsoft's been working on a suite of bundled network discovery and configuration tools called Windows Rally, designed to ease ODM development of network devices and make them as easy to use as USB gear...

via engadget.com